The Science of Acupuncture: Overview

Acupuncture balances the health of the whole body while it stops pain, boosts metabolism, and eases stress. Instead of wondering if acupuncture works, scientists have been scratching their heads and performing studies to figure out how it works. They managed to develop six different theories that, combined, provide some light into the mystery of acupuncture.

Acupuncture....

• Augments Immunity
• Releases Endorphins
• Improves Circulation
• Controls Nerve Gateways
• Balances Neurotransmitter Levels

Chinese medicine can view
disconnected symptoms
as related to one another

In the United States, we have specialists that bring to my mind the expression “the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.” If I had carpal tunnel in my right wrist and arthritis in my left, for each wrist I might end up seeing two specialists that never speak to each other! Many people have trouble understanding acupuncture in the West because one treatment can work with so many systems at the same time. I am thankful that TCM has one-to-many correspondences, since we are able to treat multiple conditions with just a few needles.

Felix Mann aptly described acupuncture
point selections as "constellations."

With all the acupuncture points on the body, mapping their individual functions would take longer than mapping the human genome. Luckily you don't have to know what points you wish to receive before you go to the acupuncturist! Every point on the body has its own potential effects; the skill of your practitioner will determine where and how these effects are used to your benefit.

Acupuncture stimulates and regulates your body's natural response, creating improvement with no side effects. Every day, your body is fighting for its life and well-being, overwhelmed by stress and repetitive strain. Acupuncture stimulates your brain to reset and rewire the patterns of your natural functions. This is the same for every patient; the differences lie in the details and nature of the condition addressed.

Acupuncture Increases Circulation

Acu-points influence circulation by affecting
hormones like histamine to dilate and constrict
blood vessels in the affected area.

Specific hormones work together to govern blood flow in the body, but there is no single hormone that modulates circulation.

A familiar hormone may help us understand the relationship between circulation and acupuncture. Many of us seek to block histamine in our respiratory systems; we use anti-histamines to cause the blood vessels to constrict so we don't feel swollen and snotty with allergies. Histamine can be very useful in combination to relax vessels and push the blood flow to an area.

Chinese medical concepts
may seem esoteric, but
they produce real, metabolic
results.

As blood reaches the site we are stimulating with acupuncture, it carries immune components, endorphins, and other beneficial compounds like vitamins, fats, and blood constituents. Once we have created the proper building blocks for healing, acupuncture directs the blood flow to the parts of the body where it is most needed, improving the circulation of the entire body. Sometimes, a specific area is involved – for example, the back, knee, and neck are all areas where the blood flow has commonly been reduced to a trickle. And one can feel it, whether as a direct source of pain or through indirect means, like edema (swelling), numbness, or tingling.
Often in response to poor circulation, it's easy to further decrease that circulation by applying ice, consuming numbing medications, or using compression socks. Unfortunately, this begins the process of removing circulation from the extremities, killing the nerves and causing muscle atrophy from mis- or dis-use.

As a licensed acupuncturist, I highly recommend stimulating the circulation to painful, numb, and swollen areas with acupuncture and the complimentary aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine before seeking more drastic means to inhibit these symptoms. Reducing circulation creates a great deal of side effects which can be irreversible, while acupuncture poses minimal risks in comparison.

When structural problems interfere with
circulation, we can use acupuncture to
direct blood flow where it's needed.

One of my patients experienced severe tennis elbow, and he was instructed that he could only receive cortisone shots, pain medications, and surgery for his condition. During his first visit, I could quickly see that his elbow pain was related to severe circulation problems in his spine, specifically referring from his neck. I informed him that I would need to address both his neck and his elbow in order to reduce the pain. Additionally, because his neck had bone spurs, I could only affect his circulation around these structural conditions.

The patient had substantial relief after the first session, which became exponential as his treatment plan progressed. While I could not change the shape of his neck, I increased the circulation within and reduced his inflammation by positively influencing blood flow in his neck, thus stopping the elbow pain.

Read more about the mechanisms of acupuncture in this excerpt from the American Journal of Acupuncture.